Calendar kit and method of use

ABSTRACT

A calendar kit is especially adapted for provided reminders of selected dates. The kit includes a backing sheet having T-shaped reminder tabs formed therein on perforation lines, and a plurality of calendar sheets each having horizontal slits associated with respective date spaces. The kit is used by first separating one of the reminder tabs from the backing sheet along the perforation lines, and then inserting the lower portion of the reminder tab into the slit associated with the selected date space on a calendar sheet. The exposed upper portion of the reminder tab provides a visible reminder of an event associated with the selected date.

[4 1 Oct. 14, 1975 334,349 l/l959 Switzerland........................ 283/2 90,520 10/1957 40/5 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner.lohn H. Wolff [57] ABSTRACT A calendar kit is especially adapted for provided reminders of selected dates. The kit includes a backing sheet having T-shaped reminder tabs formed therein on perforation lines, and a plurality of calendar sheets each having horizontal slits associated with respective date spaces. The kit is used by first separating one of the reminder tabs from the backing sheet along the Inventor: James J. Hunkins, 13001 Aclare Place, Cerritos, Calif. 90701 June 10, 1974 Appl No.: 477,655

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 341,321, March 14,

1973, abandoned.

40/110 Int. G09D 3/00 Field of Search. 40/107, 109, 110, 119-122, 40/5, 18, 63 R; 283/2 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS United States Patent Hunkins CALENDAR KIT AND METHOD OF USE 1 [22] Filed:

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BIRTHDAY CALENDAR KIT AND METHOD OF USE PRIOR APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending prior application Ser. No. 341,321 filed Mar. 14, 1973 and subsequently abandoned after the filing of this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is common practice to make annotations on a calendar to indicate special events such as birthdays, medical appointments and the like. A handwritten annotation is made in or near the space associated with a particular date on the calendar sheet. This procedure has been found useful by many people.

Where a calendar is to be hung vertically it becomes less convenient, however, to write annotations of special events on it. In the prior art there are examples of specially constructed calendars having special features to make them useful for reminder purposes.

A principal object and purpose of the present invention is to provide a calendar kit having special mechanical features which make its use for reminder purposes particularly advantageous. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a calendar kit which may be economically mass produced utilizing conventional printing technology.

Another and related object of the invention is to provide a novel method of using a calendar kit for reminder purposes.

DRAWING SUMMARY Fig. l is a front elevation view of a reminder calendar kit in accordance with the present invention, which is partially cut away to show the backing sheet;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the calendar kit showing a reminder tab in its operative position;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the reminder tab about to be inserted into its operative position; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view showing how the upper edges of the calendar kit are fastened together.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is now made to the drawing illustrating the presently preferred embodiment of the invention. A calendar kit C includes a relatively heavy backing sheet B which is made of relatively flexible cardboard material, and also a number of front sheets F which are made of lighter weight relatively flexible cardboard material. Backing sheet B is of rectangular configuration, and the front sheets or calendar sheets F are also of rectangular configuration. All the calendar sheets are substantially the same size as the backing sheet, and in the particular illustration shown are ofexactly the same size, although in general it might be desirable to make them a little smaller or perhaps a little larger than the backing sheet.

All of the sheets of the calendar kit, including the backing sheet and all of the calendar sheets, are arranged in a parallel package or stack as shown in FIG. 5. The upper edges of all of the sheets are fastened together by means of a pair of staples 61, 62. The space between the various sheets is exaggerated in FIG. 5 solely for purpose of convenient illustration.

Each one of the front sheets or calendar sheets F constitutes a calendar for a particular calendar month. It has the usual number of individual dates spaces arranged in vertical columns and in horizontal rows so as to provide all of the dates for a particular month. In the particular illustration shown each date space is surrounded by a line, providing an exactly rectangular space with the numeral representing the particular date being located in the upper left hand corner of that space. Of course, other arrangements of the date spaces may be utilized if desired.

Each one of the calendar sheets F has a plurality of rectangular slits S formed therein. One of the slits is associated with each individual date space on the calendar sheet. All of the slits S extend parallel to the upper edge or the calendar kit, which contains the staples 61, 62. The calendar kit may be suspended from its edge that contains the staples.

Backing sheet B has many perforation lines P formed therein. Each of the perforation lines P encloses a substantially T-shaped area. The portion of the backing sheet within a particular perforation line P may be separated from the surrounding portion of the backing sheet, and thereby provide a T-shaped reminder tab. In the illustration of FIG. 1 the various reminder tabs are indentified as T7 through T15, inclusive.

Thus, each one of the reminder tabs has a relatively narrow lower portion and a relatively wide upper portion. There is a critical relationship between the dimensions of the reminder tabs and the lengths of the slits S. More specifically, each of the slits S has a length which is greater than the width of the lower portions of the various reminder tabs, but which at the same time is less than the widths of the upper portions of the various reminder tabs. As the result of this inter-relationship the lower portion of a reminder tab may be inserted into one of the slits S, while the upper portion will protrude above the slit.

FIG. 1 shows a number of reminder tabs T in operative position supported from the calendar sheet F. For example, reminder tab T1 is supported from the slit S associated from date space 7. Reminder tab T3 is supported from slit S associated with date space 20. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the reminder tab T3 in its operative position.

Each of the reminder tabs has a generally T-shaped configuration including an upper portion 10 and a lower portion 13. As previously stated, the width of upper portion 10 is greater than the width (or length in the horizontal direction) of any of the slits S of calendar sheet F. The width of lower portion 13 of the reminder tab is less than the width (or length in the horizontal direction) of any of the slits S. The upper portion 10 of the reminder tab has horizontally projecting shoulders ll, 12, whose function it is to support the reminder tab from the calendar sheet, in conjunction with an associated slit S.

Thus as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the lower portion 13 of reminder tab T3 extends behind the sheet F, while upper portion 10 is exposed on the front side of the sheet. The preprinted heading on upper portion 10 of the tab T3 is BIRTHDAYS. In the particular illustration the reminder tab T3 serves to indicate, in a clearly visible manner, that an important birthday will occur on the 20th day of the particular calendar month. Since the projecting shoulders 11 and 12 of the tab are wider than the slit S, they cross over the paper material on the lower side of the slit, being initially behind the paper as shown in FIG. 3 but then extending to a position in front of the paper where the ends of the slit are closed. While that particular detail is not specifically shown in the drawing it will be easily understood.

FIG. 4 shows a reminder tab T12 as it is about to be inserted in place. Tab T12 is constructed the same as tab T3, previously described, with the exception that at its lower end the corners are cut off at 14, so that the lower end of the tab is the narrowest part of it, and particularly the narrowest part of its lower portion 13. This facilitates the insertion of the tab into and through an associated slit S.

In using my novel reminder calendar kit it is advantageous to use certain reminder tabs in the following manner. The BIRTHDAY reminder tab is filled in with the names and dates of all birthdays for the family. Then when a particular birthday occurs the tab is simply removed from that date space in the calendar and is moved over to the familys next birthday. This may involve moving the reminder tab to a different position on the same sheet, or it may require advancing it several sheets to a much later month of the year. But a rewriting of the information is not required.

As another example, the DENTIST reminder tab may be used in the following manner. A series of appointments are made and are written on the lower portion of the tab. Some of this information may be written on the back side of the tab if that additional space is needed. Then after each appointment the tab is removed from the date space associated with that particular appointment and is moved up to the next appointment date. The tab remains intact as a physical item which continues to be associated with the calendar, and contains a record of all previous appointments with the dentist during the year.

Instead of perforation lines on the back sheet a die cut may be used. Instead of printing on the top portion of the reminder tab an animated character or the like may be used. Instead of a single sheet B there may be two or more sheets on either front or back to supply the reminder tabs.

An important economic advantage of the present invention lies in the fact that the entire calendar kit may be printed using conventional printing technology. Backing sheet B may be produced on a production line. A continuous sheet of material is fed first through a machine which will print headings on any of the reminder tabs that are to have printedheadings; then it is fed through a machine which cuts all of the perforation lines P; then it is fed into a collator machine which collates the back sheet B with the various calendar sheets F.

Each separate calendar sheet is manufactured 'on a separate production line. A continuous roll of paper is fed first through a machine which prints the necessary lines for the date spaces and also the numerals representing dates. Then the continuous sheet of paper passes through the next machine which cuts all the slits S. Then the continuous sheet of paper passes to the col lator where it is collated with the backing sheet B and all of the other front or calendar sheets F.

Following the collator there is a stapling machine which inserts the staples 61, 62. Then the final machine in the automatic assembly process is a cutter which cuts the series of calendar kits into individual calendar kits, as illustrated in the present drawing.

METHOD OF use The method of use of my invention is very simple. When a reminder tab is needed it is obtained from the backing sheet B simply by raising the calendar sheets F out of place, and separating the reminder tab along the perforation lines from the surrounding portion of backing sheet B. Then the lower portion of the reminder tab is inserted into the slit associated with a selected date space on one of the calendar sheets. The upper portion of that reminder tab remains clearly visible and provides a visible reminder of an event associated with the selected date.

In order to comply with the patent laws my invention has been described in detail in at least one of its forms, but it will be understood that the concept and scope of the invention are to be limited only by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A reminder calendar kit comprising, in combination: a rectangular backing sheet made of relatively flexible cardboard material;

a plurality of rectangular calendar sheets made of relatively flexible cardboard material, all of said calendar sheets being of substantially the same size as said backing sheet;

means fastening all said sheets together along one edge thereof, whereby said one edge may be utilized for suspending the calendar kit;

each of said calendar sheets having individual date spaces arranged in vertical columns and horizontal rows to provide the dates for one month;

each of said calendar sheets having a plurality of rectangular slits formed therein, one associated with each of said date spaces, all of said slits extending parallel to said one edge of said calendar kit;

said backing sheet having at least one T-shaped reminder tab formed by perforation lines therein; and

all of said slits having a length which is greater than the width of the lower portion of said reminder tab and less than the width of the upper portion thereof;

whereby the user of said calendar kit may remove said reminder tab from said backing sheet and insert the lower portion thereof into the slit associated with a selected date space of one of said calendar sheets.

2. A reminder calendar kit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upper portion of said reminder tab has a substantial vertical dimension, whereby reminder information may be written thereon and will be visible in conjunction with said selected date space.

3. The reminder calendar kit of claim 2 wherein reminder information is preprinted on said upper portion of said reminder tabf 4. The reminder calendar kit of claim 2 wherein each date space has an unobstructed area above its associated slit which is large enough to accommodate the upper portion of said reminder tab without obscuring the date that is written on said date space.

5. The method of using a reminder calendar kit that contains both a calendar sheet with date spaces having associated slits for retaining reminder tabs, and a backing sheet having T-shaped reminder tabs formed therein on perforation lines, which consists in first separating one of said reminder tabs from the backing sheet along perforation lines and then inserting the lower portion of said reminder tab into the slit associ- 6. The method of claim 5 which includes the addiated with a selected date space on the calendar sheet, tional step of writing selected reminder information on whereby the upper portion of said one reminder tab the upper portion of said one reminder tab before inthen provides a visible reminder of an event associated serting the lower portion thereof into said slit. with the selected date. 5 

1. A reminder calendar kit comprising, in combination: a rectangular backing sheet made of relatively flexible cardboard material; a plurality of rectangular calendar sheets made of relatively flexible cardboard material, all of said calendar sheets being of substantially the same size as said backing sheet; means fastening all said sheets together along one edge thereof, whereby said one edge may be utilized for suspending the calendar kit; each of said calendar sheets having individual date spaces arranged in vertical columns and horizontal rows to provide the dates for one month; each of said calendar sheets having a plurality of rectangular slits formed therein, one associated with each of said date spaces, all of said slits extending parallel to said one edge of said calendar kit; said backing sheet having at least one T-shaped reminder tab formed by perforation lines therein; and all of said slits having a length which is greater than the width of the lower portion of said reminder tab and less than the width of the upper portion thereof; whereby the user of said calendar kit may remove said reminder tab from said backing sheet and insert the lower portion thereof into the slit associated with a selected date space of one of said calendar sheets.
 2. A reminder calendar kit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upper portion of said reminder tab has a substantial vertical dimension, whereby reminder information may be written thereon and will be visible in conjunction with said selected date space.
 3. The reminder calendar kit of claim 2 wherein reminder information is preprinted on said upper portion of said reminder tab.
 4. The reminder calendar kit of claim 2 wherein each date space has an unobstructed area above its associated slit which is large enough to accommodate the upper portion of said reminder tab without obscuring the date that is written on said date space.
 5. The method of using a reminder calendar kit that contains both a calendar sheet with date spaces having associated slits for retaining reminder tabs, and a backing sheet having T-shaped reminder tabs formed therein on perforation lines, which consists in first separating one of said reminder tabs from the backing sheet along perforation lines and then inserting the lower portion of said reminder tab into the slit associated with a selected date space on the calendar sheet, whereby the upper portion of said one reminder tab then provides a visible reminder of an event associated with the selected date.
 6. The method of claim 5 which includes the additional step of writing selected reminder information on the upper portion of said one reminder tab before inserting the lower portion thereof into said slit. 